


Some Nights

by ThatLonelyGirlOnALaptop



Category: Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Genre: Betrayal, Burning, F/M, Friendship, Kidnapping, Loneliness, Love, Lovesick, Murder, Oka Ruto - Freeform, Outcasted, Rejection, Yandere, curse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-07-25 11:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7530547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatLonelyGirlOnALaptop/pseuds/ThatLonelyGirlOnALaptop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oka Ruto, the lonely and rather strange outcast of the school goes through life alone and without a lot of purpose aside from seeking the paranormal and watching Taro Yamada from a distance. But after speaking to one particular girl, she begins to notice strange things happening. Girls start disappearing and nothing is the same. It seems that every girl Oka speaks to is either found dead or die in horrible ways. Rumours start to spread that Oka is cursed. The only few that don't seem to believe that is Taro and a couple of others. Is there a curse? Who is doing all of these? Will Oka ever find the courage to tell Taro how she feels? Is SHE next on the killer's list?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Oka Ruto crossed the threshold of the road onto the school's pavement as the clock rolled over to 7:00 AM and the four tone tune came from the school's clock. The sky was clear and there was no cloud in sight. It was a warm day, the sun's rays resting on her shoulders. Everyone was filing into the school in two straight lines. Oka preferred to be at the back of her row. She felt uncomfortable in crowds… too many eyes to meet and too many who would judge. The girl cupped her hands together as she walked and kept her eyes down. Nobody seemed to be interested in her, which she didn't care about. If they wanted to be too wrapped up in their own business, that wasn't her problem. Besides, she had other things to think about other than her classmates.

Today was particularly sunny and the sun was vivid. Anyone with a hint of common sense would know that vampires can't possibly stand in sunlight without burning! Oka's shadowed eyes darted towards the Basu sisters, who were standing together as usual alongside their friends. Inkyu Basu, the younger of the pair was standing closest to her. Her vivid magenta hair swept over her shoulders held in two thick ponytails in fluffy black scrunchies. Oka fiddled with her own hair as she looked at the sisters. The difference between the gothic girl and the Basu siblings could not be more apparent. Sakyu and Inkyu were beautiful with clean and styled hair and wore makeup which enhanced their attractiveness with good personalities to boot. Oka's hair was a perpetual mess which hadn't been washed in a few days and her tired eyes were surrounded by shadow against her pale and average skin. Unlike the sociable Basu siblings, Oka couldn't cope with speaking to so many at once. Or sometimes even talking one-on-one was enough to cause her to turn into a stuttering wreck. They were everything she wasn't.  
'Wait until I can prove she's a vampire.' Oka thought inwardly as she opened her locker to get her indoor shoes, 'Maybe people will stop calling me crazy…'  
Oka took off her outdoor shoes with ease and put them in her locker. The noise of the locker room rang in her ears. People's voices, things dropping on the floor the slamming doors, it was enough to drive anyone mad! Oka stimmed anxiously for several minutes, cupping her hands repetitively and rocking on the spot. She bent over and attempted to get one of her indoor shoes on, but as she put one leg up to pull the shoe on, the other foot under her slipped on nothing, sending the girl tumbling backwards with a startled yelp, waving her arms in an attempt to catch herself. Oka let out a cry as she ended up falling backwards into the legs of Shima Shita, who let out a small gasp as she was knocked backwards. The short-haired brunette recovered quickly from her stumble and jumped into a position, indicating readiness to fight, only to notice the older girl picking herself up. Oka was fixing her fringe when she felt a hard shove on the back.  
"For god sake, Oka, watch your feet!" Shima snapped before grabbing her things and heading into the Martial Arts room. Oka, noticing that people were now looking and some were sniggering, stimmed anxiously as she opened her locker back up to find her other shoe. Thankfully this didn't last long as everyone began to migrate into the main Plaza. The Basu sisters made their way up onto the roof, Oka knew they'd be there. Probably to hide their real identities! People had told her before that it was just because the sisters preferred each other's company to others, but she knew better than that! They had something to hide!

As she passed the main doors to the Plaza, she noticed the groups of girls dotted around, all gossiping, giggling and generally chatting. The petals from the blossom trees were falling into the green grass and the water in the fountain reflected the sun's rays, leaving the Plaza in a warm glow. It looked so pleasant. Oka sighed, shaking her unkempt hair and continuing to slowly walk up the stairs to the rooftop, still writhing her hands. She didn't feel like she could be a part of those cliques. Nobody ever wanted to talk about vampires or demons, they only cared about petty things like makeup and boys as far as she knew. She wasn't interested in that kind of rubbish. She had more important matters on her mind.  
When she finally got to the roof, the sun's rays reflecting off of the white stone made her shield her eyes for a moment. She looked around, noticing the few people she always saw on the roof. The bluenette, Kuu Dere sat on the bench in the shade, deep in her own thoughts and not speaking to anyone as usual. Mai Waifu was standing further away on her own, her long hot pink hair flowing behind her in the wind. Like Kuu, she was also stuck in her own thoughts. Oka did not know a lot about Mai Waifu apart from the fact that she seemed to always daydream about this mysterious game developer from America. She didn't say his name or anything, but she never seemed to think about anything else. What she did know was that the game developer in question could be on the other end of Midori Gurin's email. The green haired girl was furiously typing on her phone with her emerald eyes locked onto it. Oka didn't see the point in interacting with the ditsy first year so went to walk past her to reach the Basu sisters who were talking behind the wall.  
"Oka! Oka!" The said girl yelped in fright as her heart rate quickened from the shock. Breathing shallowly, Oka turned her head towards Madori who was waving at her frantically.  
"Wh-what is it, M-Midori?" She squeaked, writhing her hands together. She really didn't like it when people startled her like that.  
"How many m's are there in the word programming?" The green haired girl asked stupidly, making Oka sigh. The girl did have a very irritating habit of asking stupid questions like this, but no matter what anyone said, she would probably never stop. Kuu Dere seemed to be annoyed by this as she also sighed. Or at least Oka thought she was annoyed, as far as she knew Kuu had a reputation for keeping her emotions to herself and not showing any.  
"I told you earlier, Midori there are two m's in programming." She growled in a steady tone before muttering "idiot…" Under her breath. Oka looked back towards Midori who had resumed typing.  
"W-w-who are… You e-mailing... anyway?" She asked, but before she could say anything else, Kuu interrupted.  
"I bet it's that game developer." She said, again in a flat tone, "How many e-mails have you sent that guy, I mean honestly?"  
"Uh...about…"  
"You shouldn't have to think for an answer."  
"Um… Is a lot bad?"  
"Bad? I'd be tearing my hair out if I got that many…!"

As the argument started escalated, (if you could call Midori whining nonsense and Kuu's monotoned remarks an 'argument') Oka took the opportunity to sneak away, not wanting to get involved in the bickering she had inadvertently started. Arguments was another thing she couldn't deal with. She looked around the corner and saw the two sisters speaking to each other. Inkyu was standing in the shade caused by the wall while Sakyu stood in the sun.  
'Hmm… So she's standing in the shade.' Oka thought to herself, 'Must be to make sure she doesn't burn!' She stood against the wall, out of their sight, feeling really pleased with her finding. Maybe people would stop calling her weird or crazy for knowing the truth. Although she hadn't found anything on Sakyu, it was better than nothing! She turned around to look again and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she was suddenly face to face with a pair of fake yellow irises.  
"Kyaa!" She yowled, almost having a heart attack.  
"Get lost, Oka!" The purple haired girl suddenly snapped, making Oka whip back around the wall with a yelp. She started stimming again in an attempt to comfort herself. How long did they know she was there? Oka sighed as the knot in her chest loosened.  
"What was it? Was it that girl again?" Inkyu's younger and lighter voice came from the corner which made the knot in her chest come back, even stronger now.  
"Yeah, just ignore her." Sakyu answered so bluntly Oka was half afraid she would come around the corner and push her away or something.  
"She's creepy, I don't like her!"  
"Try having to be in the same class as her!"  
Oka cupped her hands against her chest and gulped. They must have forgotten that she was right there. She wasn't a stranger to words like these but what could she do about it? She didn't have anyone to talk to about it with… There were the people who were a part of her club, the Occult club but they seemed more interested reading their books and taking part in the activities, rather than actually talk to her. Oka sighed and sat on the bench, making sure to sit away from Kuu, who seemed to have gotten Midori to back off as the green-haired girl was back to staring at her phone. Oka played with the red band around her arm, trying to take her mind off of the Basu sisters, but she was still thinking about her discovery of Inkyu standing in the shade. Oka noticed Kuu's red eyes looking towards her and quickly averted her eyes onto the ground, stimming.  
"They aren't supernatural, you know. You're wasting your time." The bluenette said bluntly, making Oka jump a little.  
"Wh-wha- y-yes they are...!" she stammered, fed up of people telling her otherwise. Why did people find it so hard to believe?  
"What makes you so sure?"  
"Uh… I-I-Inkyu's standing… in the sh-shade."  
"So?"  
"Vampires b-burn... in the sun…" Oka crossed her arms, wanting to make herself clear to the ruby eyed girl. But her confidence was shattered when the pair of sisters suddenly passed them, the pair of them were in the sun, which seemed to be reflecting off of their hair. She could feel Kuu's eyes bore into her.  
"Vampires burn in the sun, huh?"  
Oka stimmed, darting her eyes a little in embarrassment, "Uh-um...s-she's...p-probably...a s-special vampire...w-who can survive in the sunlight...t-this requires...f...f-further research…" she mumbled, playing with her fringe anxiously as she looked away. Kuu just shook her head and walked away. Oka sighed and put her head in her hands. It looked like she was back to square one. The girl sighed and followed Kuu down the stairs and into their classroom. Nobody ever wanted to listen to her. She didn't know anyone else within the school outside of her club members who was interested in the paranormal or supernatural. She couldn't explain to people just why she was so interested by that. It was all just too fascinating to ignore!

Sitting in her seat, Oka played with her red armband as she looked around the classroom. By now almost everyone was here. Right next to her was another club leader, Budo Masuta the master martial artist in the school. He was a taller boy with fluffy black hair, a well built and sturdy body and a confident and strong mind. Something that Oka didn't have and probably would never have.  
Next to him was Mai Waifu, who still seemed to be staring into space. While Oka did not know much about the girl, she was aware that the pink-haired girl did have a number of admirers throughout the school and it wasn't uncommon for her to be called "kawaii", "moe" or "deredere" by them. Oka found people hard enough to deal with as they were, she didn't want to think about having admirers. At the front of the class was Ryuto Ippongo and Pippi Osu, sitting at either side of the classroom. Oka didn't see them very much as the pair always spent their time in the computer lab, playing games. Sakyu was sitting behind her and the dark haired girl could feel her annoyed eyes glaring at the back of her head.  
While Oka did not really think about anyone in her class, since they all had their own business to deal with and she had hers, there was one person she couldn't ignore. And he was sitting right behind her next to the window.

Taro Yamada. Oka did not know what drew her to the boy. He was just an average person. He did his school work, he got fairly good grades and he seemed to enjoy spending his time alone rather than being around other people. But there was just something about him… he gave off a good aura, which was something Oka could always appreciate. But she didn't know anything else about him. Sure they were in the same class, but she had never even spoken to him. She wished she could, but she just couldn't bring herself to. Everyone thought she was 'spooky' and 'creepy', she'd rather keep him oblivious rather than allow herself to become a bigger outcast than she already was. Besides, what chance would she have with him anyway? He already had a girlfriend. Or at least she thought he did. He always seemed to be with a girl with flame coloured hair which fell back into twintails and orange eyes. She didn't know her name but she could often see her around Taro and seemed to have this habit of calling him, and pretty much everyone else "baka". She was the main reason that Oka never approached him. If this girl was indeed Taro's girlfriend like she thought, she didn't know how she'd react to another girl talking to him.  
Oka was taken out of her trance when the teacher, Kaho Kanon started the class. Oka sighed and opened her book, wanting to get this out of the way. She had other matters to tend to.

...

As the school's lunch bell rang, everyone started to file out of the classroom. Oka cleared her desk and followed them, walking behind Sakyu. She was wondering it would be worth watching the siblings again. The things Kuu had said were still playing in her head, even though she had been trying to get rid of those thoughts. Inkyu was a vampire, she just knew it! But she had to find out a way to convince people of that fact.  
A sudden barrier stopped Oka from walking, causing her to hit it and stumble backwards. She suddenly realised that the barrier she had walked into was the back of Sakyu. The purpled haired girl with yellow eyes turned around to glare at Oka.  
"Don't even think about it!" The girl snapped, pointing a finger at Oka, which made her step back.  
"Th-th-think about w-what?" Oka muttered, writhing her hands worryingly.  
"Following us onto the roof and stare at us like some creepy stalker!" the girl glared at her, only making Oka more anxious. She darted her eyes and tried to avoid eye contact.  
"I-I-I just-" she stammered.  
"Do you _like_ the fact that everyone says you're weird?"  
"N-N-No-"  
"Then stop stalking me and my sister, you creepy bitch!" The girl snarled, making Oka look away, rubbing her arms. She let out an annoyed sigh before storming off, leaving Oka alone in the hall. The girl continued writhing her hands for another few minutes, trying to calm herself down. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't want to go into the cafeteria, there were too many people there. She didn't want to go into the Plaza since she knew that's where Taro would be, and she couldn't bear the thought of herself being alone with him. Lingering around him without saying something to him would probably freak him out and she didn't want to be chased off by anyone else today. Oka sighed and decided to go back onto the roof. She'd have to be more careful in watching the sisters this time. She needed to find out more about them.

As Oka turned the corner towards the roof, she jumped when she was suddenly face to face with a girl that she had never seen before. She looked to be a year below Oka and, like Taro, had black hair and charcoal coloured eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes looked dull and empty. She did not say anything. She just stood there staring at Oka. The girl stimmed, writhing her hands as she took a step back down the steps.  
"Uh-um-um… s-s-sorry…" she stammered, unsure what to say. The girl continued to stare at her, her face was blank and emotionless. Oka darted her eyes, what was she supposed to do? Suddenly, without the girl saying anything, she whipped out her phone in front of her face, the camera facing Oka.  
"Kyaa! No!" Oka yelped, covering her face with her hands. She couldn't stand people taking her picture! Especially without permission! Even when she was expecting it, she hated it. After a few moments, she removed her hands from her face and was relieved to see that the girl was gone. She walked up the stairs and onto the roof. She knew that the Basu sisters were in their usual spot, but she really didn't want to get caught by them. She sat on the bench close to them and listened. They were just talking. They weren't talking about anything remotely interesting to her. They were probably keeping their secrets to themselves. They don't want other people to know who they really are. Oka sighed and put her head in her hands, she'd just have to try again tomorrow. The girl looked to her right and noticed Kuu sitting there, eating her lunch of sushi, chicken and some vegetables.

Oka's stomach rumbled uncomfortably and she pressed her hands against it. She sighed and rubbed her stomach, trying to distract herself from feeling hungry. Oka didn't like eating at school. Or more that she always forgot to take lunch to school, and even if she did take some she wouldn't eat it anyway since she was always busy watching the Basu sisters which would take her mind off of it. But now that stalking the sisters was harder since Sakyu was aware and was probably watching out for her now and that distraction now only made Oka aware of her hunger. But today was one of those days where she forgot to bring her lunch with her. The girl sighed as she looked around the roof area. There was nothing happening. Mai was still standing away from everyone and Midori was still staring at her phone. Oka couldn't be bothered with asking her what she was doing, knowing she'd just get roped into another argument between her and Kuu.  
But something did catch her eye. Two other girls, Kokona Haruka and Saki Miyu were coming up the stairs and were going behind a wall. Oka blinked curiously. Kokona and Saki were both popular girls who always spent their time with their friends gossiping. She hadn't seen them on the roof before. What were they doing?  
Oka, feeling curious got up from the bench and started walking to where they were. But she stopped when she suddenly noticed that same black haired girl from before appear from the stairs and appeared to stalk the pair of girls, listening to what they were talking about. Oka blinked and took a step back. She didn't want to intrude on the girl. She didn't know who she was, and didn't know how she would react to her intruding. After a few moments Oka heard the school bell go again. She silently watched the black-haired girl run down the stairs and Kakona and Saki following her, seemingly oblivious to her presence.  
Who was that girl? Oka scratched her head, trying to figure it out. She hadn't seen her before, didn't know her name and she did act very strange. Oka was fairly interested in finding out who she was. But there was every chance she'd reject her too, like everyone else. The girl sighed as she walked back to class.

Maybe she would try to speak to her at some point. She use some friends for a change.


	2. Chapter 2

Class time passed slowly for Oka, who was still stuck in her thoughts and couldn't think of anything other than that girl she saw on the roof, stalking Kokona and Saki. What was she doing and why was she lurking around them like that? That was weird. Sure, she stalked the Basu sisters but she had a reason! How was she supposed to know they wouldn't use their powers against others one day? Why couldn't people see that? Surely she could prove their real identities before they tried anything!  
Kokona and Saki on the other hand… Oka had no clue what they were doing. She didn't know anything about them. They didn't seem dangerous in any way! So why should she look into them? They never talked to Oka anyway, and she didn't have an interest in them either! Watching them would be pointless! She had to keep her focus on what was important. A soft tap on her right shoulder made Oka jump out of her trance. She rocked slightly as she darted her light purple eyes. Who poked her?  
"Psst!" A voice next to her hissed. Oka turned around slightly in her seat and her heart seemed to stop when she suddenly saw that she was face-to-face with a pair of charcoal coloured eyes.  
"T-T-Taro?" She squeaked, glancing at the teacher, hoping she hadn't heard them. Taro blinked a couple of times before moving back slightly.  
"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" He whispered, "I was just wondering if you had an extra pen I could use? Mine just exploded." He chuckled a little as he looked back at his desk. Oka saw his notebook was covered in a couple large splodges of ink on the page and the ink coated pen next to it. Oka muttered something inaudible and started digging through her pencil case.  
"H-H-Here." she held the pen out to him, which the dark haired boy gave her a smile.  
"Thanks." He gave her a nod, before glancing towards the teacher, "Heh, I just realised. We've been sitting next to each other since the start of April and I never asked you your name." Oka stimmed slightly, feeling her pale cheeks turn a soft tinge of pink. Was he really asking for her name?  
"I-I-I'm… Oka." she answered him finally, thankfully it didn't look like anyone was aware of their conversation.  
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Oka." Taro gave her another smile before leaning back over towards his desk to continue his work. Oka glanced back towards her own work, now quite sure how to feel about this. She finally spoke to Taro! But could she talk to him again? She was still pretty sure he had a girlfriend, or at least she assumed he did. Would it be worth trying to speak to him again? Oka sighed, probably not. She really wanted to, but would he want that? Oka rested her head in one of her hands, thinking this over. Aside from the fact that Taro may already have a girlfriend who may not appreciate him speaking to another girl, she felt that there was another issue. Oka was fully aware of her very low position within the 'hierarchy' that seemed to exist within the school and it seemed that everyone -at one point or another- was eager to put her in her place. She didn't know who he was friends with. Would being around her make him an outcast too? Oka sighed and flipped through her book, mindlessly writing answers. Maybe it was for the best if she just kept her distance. She played with the spider webbed gloves she had on. A lot of people probably thought that her gloves -and leggings with the same pattern- were weird, but she really liked them. They made her feel unique. But, again that did have its downside. This attire only fueled people's already poor view of her. She just couldn't win…

A loud rumble ripped Oka out of her thoughts. She wrapped her arms around her abdomen and moved around in her seat, darting her purple eyes around and praying that nobody had noticed. Nobody was smirking or looking in her direction, so she could only assume they didn't. Just as Oka was thinking this, the school's bell suddenly went off. Finally, the day was over and she could turn her attention to the Occult club. At least there she didn't have to worry about others. The other members of the club were a lot more accepting. Even though they didn't talk to her much, the only time they really did was to ask when half-past five was.  
But as Oka was about to leave, she suddenly heard someone clear their throat. She looked towards the noise and froze when she noticed that it was the teacher, Kaho Kanon watching her.  
"Umm… Y-yes,s-s- sensei?" she squeaked, rocking on the spot slightly. Kanon didn't respond and just continued to watch her, silently telling her to come over to the front of the class. Oka felt herself freeze but after a second she walked towards the front, staring at the ground. She looked up at the teacher and cupped her hands, unsure as to what Kanon wanted from her.  
"Oka, may I ask what was so important that you had to ignore what I was saying?" the teacher placed her arms akimbo, looking at Oka intensely. The girl glanced at the ground and wringed her hands.  
"Uh-uh… I w-was just… t-t-talking to Taro b-b-because…oh." Oka muttered, still stimming anxiously. She was just thankful that she was the only one in the room with Kanon, if the other students were here she felt like she would pass out from fear.  
"Because?" The teacher questioned her, putting her hand on her chin. Oka sighed and looked at the floor again.  
"H-H-He just… w-w-wanted a-a pen." She mumbled, just wanting to die. Kanon sighed and relaxed her posture. Oka looked at the teacher worryingly, she hadn't gotten into trouble from her before but she still didn't like the thought of it. The teachers at Akademi were pretty well known for being strict and she had seen Kanon scold students before.  
"Alright, Oka, I understand. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but if I catch you talking in my class again I will have to discipline you." She explained though her tone was not as sharp as before. Oka glanced away and just nodded, not sure what to say.  
"Um…o-o-ok…" she mumbles, wrapping her arms around her stomach uncomfortably. The teacher sighed and folded her arms. Her expression softened. She leant against one of the desks and gave Oka a kinder expression.  
"Now… How have you been doing so far this year?" She asked her, making Oka sigh and look at the ground. She was always thankful for Kanon being her teacher, sure she was strict and did not stand for nonsense but she was still an understanding woman and would listen to Oka, something that none of the other students did.  
"Umm… I'm… Um… Ok." She murmured in a response, still looking at the ground uncomfortably. Half of her wanted to tell the teacher how she was feeling about everything but the other half didn't, thinking it could give her more grief than she already had.  
"I see. Is everything going well with your club?" The teacher continued.  
"Um...yes." She sighed, still writhing her hands. Kanon sighed and leant in slightly closer, but not too close that it have Oka discomfort.  
"Are you coping at home?"  
That question made Oka flinch. She sighed and stared at the ground. Kanon was the only person she was ok talking to about this topic. She felt uncomfortable with anyone else. It wasn't easy to talk about and didn't know if anyone would understand if she were to talk about it with them.  
"Alright… I guess. It's just that… It's been five years but… I'm still not… Happy." She shut her eyes and sat on one of the desks, becoming more upset at the thought of it all. It was too much for her to think about right now, she looked away from the teacher with a small sigh. Kanon also sighed and shook her head a little as if she could sense Oka's discomfort.  
"It's ok, Oka, if you don't want to say anything, I understand. It's a hard thing for someone to get used to. And some people cope better than others. But just remember you can talk to me or the guidance counselor at any time and we'll do what we can to help." Kanon said before standing up fully, "You can go now, run along so you aren't late."  
Oka bowed a little at the teacher, feeling quite thankful for this.  
"Thank you, Kanon-sensei." she muttered as she left the classroom and, still keeping her head down. She hated talking about her personal life, despite the fact she knew she could trust Kanon with that kind of information. Like Taro, the teacher had a good -albeit slightly intimidating- aura around her, which did give Oka some comfort. But it did make her feel worse about things, how much of a loser do you have to be to only have a teacher to talk to? Well… it was still better than nothing. Though she really wished she had a friend to talk to about it. But she didn't feel like she could trust anyone, or that they would understand.

As she went to walk down the stairs, she glanced towards the girl's toilets. Oka could not help but shudder as she looked at the door. She did not like that particular bathroom, there was something about it that really freaked her out. The lights were always dim and she just felt anxious around it as if a murder had taken place in there, there was something very spooky about it. Usually, for Oka that was something worth investigating but it just too much for her to deal with. The girl scuttled down the steps, something in her was half expecting something to jump out at her so she didn't want to stay there any longer.

….

Pushing the door open to the Occult club, Oka looked around seeing the other members dotted around the room, reading books. Shin had just finished lighting the circle of candles in the middle of the room. He looked up and gave Oka a wave when he saw her. The girl gave him a blunt nod and stepped over the candles to stand in the middle of the room. She sighed as she looked the room. With its dark curtains and eerie lighting anyone else would consider this room to be scary or creepy, but Oka liked it like this. There was something about it that made her feel calm, she was in her element here. The other members of the club didn't judge her like others did. She felt quite content in this room, here she could completely immerse herself in the supernatural without having to think about anyone else. She shut her eyes and sighed a little. She wished she could just stay in this room for the whole day rather than be in class. This was one of the few times when Oka actually felt content. Now and when she was home in her room. Everything else was just too stressful for her to cope with. A creature of habit, she preferred to keep to her own , she really wished people didn't immediately shun her for her interests in the paranormal. She had tried other things, but was never happy with them and would always go back to what she knew the best.  
"Hey, Oka?" The said girl jumped at the sudden question and turned to look at Kokuma Jutsu who was in her usual place, holding a book, "What time is it?" Oka looked at her phone, which was blue with small white stars on it, and looked at the time. The girl's heart dropped a little when she saw that it was only a little past four.  
"It's just… after four." Oka answered. Kokuma just went back to reading, seemingly uninterested in anything else. Oka went back into her thoughts. Or at least she tried to but the empty feeling in her stomach kept distracting her. She rubbed it a number of times in a vain attempt to ease the dull ache. At least it wasn't rumbling, it could be worse. All she could really do was hope that their attempt to summon a demon would be successful this time… she needed something to go right today.

….

It didn't work again. Oka dragged her feet as she finally left the school for the day. It was getting quite late and, after a rather miserable day like this, all she really wanted was to go home and go to the sanctuary of her room and get away from everyone. She needed to find out how Inkyu was able to stand in sunlight without being burned, that was still niggling the back of her mind and had to be figured out.  
"Can I talk to you for a moment?" A sudden voice made Oka jump and turn around. She was puzzled to find the same girl she had seen on the roof standing there. Oka darted her eyes and cupped her hand, not quite sure what this girl could want.  
"Um...hi." she mumbled, glancing away. All she could do was hope this girl would just go did she want?  
"I just wanted to tell you that you look lovely today!" The girl cocked her head to one side and gave Oka a small smile as she said these words. Oka was taken aback. Did she just _compliment_ her? She hadn't been complemented by another person in… she couldn't remember how long, but it had been quite a long time. A flush of pink rushed into Oka's cheeks and she glanced at the ground again, suddenly feeling warm and somewhat flustered.  
"R-Really? That's… such a nice thing to say…" she muttered, almost smiling. But when she looked back up but was surprised to find that the girl was nowhere to be seen. Had she just ran off after saying that? Oka sighed a little, feeling rather down again. She hoped the girl would stay this time, she wanted to know who she was. She was still very curious about why the girl was interested in Kokona and Saki. What did she want from them? Oka sighed and continued to walk out of the school's gate and made her way down the street towards her house.

Well… at least today wasn't _completely_ miserable. She did speak to Taro, something she never thought she could do. And she got complimented. Maybe the world wasn't as sad and lonely as she thought it was...


	3. Chapter 3

Oka was relieved to finally get home. It always felt good to get away from school. Here she could completely indulge in her research without anyone staring or talking about it behind her back. She could be herself.  
Opening the front door, she saw that all of the lights were off and the house was silent. This wasn't surprising to Oka. Everyone was still out at this time and wouldn't be back for another couple of hours. This meant two things. On the one hand, it meant having to wait longer for dinner, which didn't usually bother Oka but it did today but she'd just have to wait. But on the other hand, it meant that Oka could do what she wanted. And what she wanted to do was try and figure out how Inkyu Basu could be in sunlight. Putting on her inside shoes, Oka made her way into her room.  
The girl sighed as she shut the door and looked around her room. The purple curtains were closed so Oka turned on her lamp next to her bed. She had owned the lamp since she was young, her dad had given it to her. The lampshade was light blue with white stars. The room was quickly bathed in a nice blue glow with white stars. The girl smiled a little as she got changed out of her school uniform and into her casual wear which consisted of a red tank top under a loose purple t-shirt with a skull on the front with black hearts for eyes and red shorts. Oka sighed as she fluffed her hair after getting changed. This felt much better. She settled onto her bed and started up her laptop, resting her head against the soft pillows and getting comfortable.  
Great, now she could get on with business.

Oka started looking through any paranormal website she could find, hoping to find something about vampires who can survive sunlight. The girl sighed as she came across countless forums talking about those stupid fake vampires who sparkle in the sunlight. What a load of rubbish. Oka sighed and continued searching.  
Even after a hour, she couldn't find anything. The girl sighed irritably and opened the tab to the school's Facebook page, figuring she needed a break from her futile internet search and look for something else. The school's Facebook page looked quite bare, but that was to be expected. Oka barely saw anyone post on the school's wall. There were only two things posted. One was from Midori.  
_"What does the school's logo symbolize? Yes, I checked the FAQ this time."_  
Oka rolled her eyes, she couldn't have checked the FAQ like she said because the answer was there. It still amazed her how thick the green-haired girl could be. But she couldn't think too badly of Midori. She was a nice girl, aside from her questionable intelligence. And she was still more popular than Oka. She was a social butterfly like the Basu sisters. Oka knew this since she did see the green-haired girl interacting with others within the school. Though she did seem more interested in sending that game developer stupid questions. Poor guy.

Looking at the page again, Oka's eyes were drawn to the other post that was there. Taro's, he was asking how old the Sakura trees around the school were. Oka sighed and lowered her gaze. She wanted to answer him. She really did. She guessed that the trees were at least fifty years old, probably more but she could easily be wrong. And what would he think if she got it wrong? Would he think she is stupid? It was a public wall so everyone would see her stupid, wrong answer! Oka shuddered and closed the tab, opening up YouTube. The last thing she wanted was to draw more attention to herself. She was a background character in someone else's story, and that's how it was supposed to be. At least, that's what everyone else seemed to think. And since it was all of them against her, what was the point in trying to prove them wrong? There wasn't one.

Oka browsed through YouTube aimlessly, these thoughts still playing in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened today. The main things that stuck in her mind was finally speaking to Taro and also her encounter with that girl. She didn't know what it was, but there was something about her that intrigued Oka. The girl never seemed to walk into any situation, she just… _Appeared._ It was weird. But interesting. There was just something off about her. She didn't seem to behave like the other girls that Oka knew. She never saw her with the girls in the Plaza or on the roof. Oka tried to think of any other time she might have seen the girl. She had seen her through crowds but couldn't pinpoint any specific time she saw her. She seemed to slip in and out of crowds like a ninja with nobody noticing her. Why would she do that? Maybe she was just shy and didn't like being noticed. Oka could relate to that. She didn't like being the centre of attention herself.  
One other thing that puzzled Oka was the fact that the girl had randomly complimented her. She couldn't help but feel a little confused as to why. She didn't know the girl at all! What would possess her to just approach her and do that? Granted, Oka was flattered by the gesture, but it still didn't make sense.  
Oka let out a little sigh as her head started to hurt from thinking intensely like that. She looked at the time on her laptop but was disappointed to find that it had only been about forty five minutes. She scratched her stomach as she started feeling hungry again. Come on, there must have been something to distract her from that. She went back onto YouTube and started looking around the site for something interesting to watch. After a few moments, she realised that Rob Dyke had uploaded a new video, part of his 'Seriously Strange' series. It seemed that the only other person Oka knew of who shared similar interests in the paranormal was one she could never physically meet.  
'I'll watch this one then get back to work.' She thought to herself as she adjusted her headphones, 'Need to find out about sunlight vampires. And soon.'

…

Seven videos later, Oka was distracted by the sound of the front door opening downstairs. She let out a sigh and closed her laptop knowing that they would want her to come downstairs. Oka still didn't feel comfortable with them. She wanted to be alone and continue her 'research' but she knew the family didn't care much for her interests. It wasn't just her interest in the paranormal they didn't seem to like, looking at her relaxed attire she had a feeling that they'd make her get into something else. Something more 'proper'. Letting out another sigh, she looked around her dimly lit room before going downstairs. Walking down the stairs, her eyes were drawn to the pictures along the wall. The pictures showed a family of three, all with blonde hair. There wasn't any sign of the dark haired girl anywhere in any of those pictures. Oka saw everyone at the front door.  
"Um… Hi, Jinsune." Oka mumbled, rubbing her arm anxiously. The blonde woman hung up her jacket and gave Oka a gentle smile.  
"Hello, Oka. How was school today?" She asked her warmly, though Oka could tell she was more interested in what she was wearing. Oka wasn't sure what the huge deal was with the way she dressed. She felt comfortable in her shorts and t-shirt but it seemed that trousers and a blouse or something was better suited to them. Oka leant against the wall and kept her eyes down.  
"Um… It was… Okay." She answered after a moment. Thankfully this seemed to satisfy Jinsune as she gave her a little nod and took her shopping into the kitchen.  
"Dinner will be ready in about half an hour!" She called over her shoulder towards Oka before disappearing.  
The girl leant against the wall again and shut her eyes. She didn't know why she felt so uncomfortable here. Jinsune Aihara and her husband, Jinta were nice people and everything but she still felt… Off. It wasn't the same. She couldn't explain it. The Aiharas were good people and did leave Oka alone when it came to her interests, rather than judge her for them. But they were too accepting. Surely something was up. Oka couldn't think of anyone else who seemed to accept her hobbies with such ease. It made her uncomfortable. The only other people she knew about who were as fascinated with the paranormal as her were her parents… Oka rubbed her eyes with her arm, trying to get their image out of her head. She didn't want to think about it. It hurt too much. Everything used to be so clear, but now she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Where to be, how to act, who to be with, who to to be… none of it was clear. Digging into her shorts' pocket, she brought out the only thing that could really give her some form of comfort. A little blue voodoo doll. Oka let out a little sigh of relief as she held it in her hands. Maybe that's why she felt so bad today, she didn't have it with her to school since she forgot to bring it since she assumed she had it under the arm-band. Usually she either kept it in her locker or tucked under her red arm-band. Hugging the little doll, she sniffed once immediately feeling better now that she had it. It had previously belonged to her dad and he had given the voodoo doll to her for her thirteenth birthday, a week before… Oka shuddered and walked back up the stairs to her room. She needed to get her mind back on track. What was it she was researching again? Oh, yeah daytime vampires. And this time she was going to focus!

...

_"People have been afraid of her because of her fast speed that people said she has. So the next time you go to Japan, DON'T TRUST ANY WOMEN IF YOU CAN'T SEE THEIR LEGS! It is also similar to Kashima Reiko."_  
Oka winced at the last lines of that Creepypasta. Actually, no, that wasn't a Creepypasta. She didn't know what the hell that was supposed to be. It wasn't scary, that was one thing, it was too short and very badly written. Oka had heard the urban legend of Teke Teke numerous times but this was the worst version she had come across. She could write a better version than this.  
Oka glanced at the corner of her monitor and sighed when she noticed that the time read that it was now three in the morning. She'd have to get up in three hours to get ready for school. Oka closed her laptop and lied down on her bed, holding her little voodoo doll to her chest.  
Staring at her ceiling, the girl sighed and her thoughts went back to the previous day. Now that she thought about it, it didn't seem to be a total waste. But being complimented and speaking to Taro still couldn't push down the negatives. She couldn't get that phrase Sakyu had said to her out of her head.  
"Do you _like_ the fact that everyone says you're weird?"  
Oka writhed her hands anxiously as she remembered that. But the purple haired girl had made a valid point. Everyone did say she was weird. They always had. And that's all they'll ever think. She'll be nothing more than "that weird loner girl who is obsessed with the paranormal and creepy stuff" to them and nothing else. If the world's only gonna see her as this, there's no point trying to be anything else. Oka rolled onto her side and shut her eyes. Who knows, maybe tomorrow will be different.


	4. Chapter 4

Oka played with her arm warmers as she waited for the morning class to begin. She looked at Sakyu who was sitting behind her. The girl seemed to be ignoring her as she was looking at the book on her desk. Oka had, again, watched her as she spoke to her sister on the roof. She hadn't learned anything new, unfortunately so had nothing to go by in terms of research. But it wasn't the Basu sisters that she was focus in on right now.

As she was watching the siblings, she had noticed Kokona Haruka coming up onto the roof again, like yesterday. And if that wasn't strange enough, that charcoal haired girl quickly appeared and the pair of them seemed to be talking about something. While curious, Oka knew better than to try and listen in to people's conversations like that. Besides, she didn't want to give people the idea that she would do that. Given Kokona's popularity and the amount of friends she had, she wouldn't stand a chance. The last thing Oka needed was to be seen as a "peeping Tom". Sure she watched the Basu sisters on a daily bases but that was different! Oka sighed and looked around again.  
But then the sight of someone unfamiliar to her caught her interest.  
She looked at the desk in the first row and third column of the classroom. There was an unfamiliar girl sitting there, who Oka had never seen before. Her hair was long, wavy and blonde with salmon pink tips and her skin was heavily tanned. While this was the first time she had seen the girl, she had heard her name before. Musume Ronshaku. She had heard other students say her name and, given that she had never heard that name before until she arrived, she could only assume that was her name. She had heard her speaking to some of the others in the class, she had a very distinct voice. Loud and pretty obnoxious with a Valley Girl accent. Maybe she was American, Oka didn't know and she was not about to go and ask. She'd quickly become popular within the school, she just knew she would. She figured it was just better to ignore her, rather than try to introduce herself to her. She just knew it wouldn't work and she didn't want to be laughed at or shunned by anyone else. Oka opened her book and started reading.

Just as she was going to turn the page, she felt a tap on her right shoulder. Her stomach did a flip as she instantly knew who it was. She turned around and, just as she predicted, Taro was looking at her.  
"Hey, Oka. I just wanted to give you your pen back." he said with the same gentle smile he had yesterday. He was holding her pen in his hand.  
"Oh… t-thank you, Taro." She stammered, taking it from him. Taro smiled and his charcoal eyes moved onto her blue fingerless gloves with white cobwebs on them.  
"I like your gloves." He said, Oka had to look away so he couldn't see her pale cheeks turn a furious pink. She played with her choker nervously, trying to think of a response that didn't sound stupid.  
"T-Thank you… M-my mum made them for me… For a birthday." She answered finally, still fiddling with her choker.  
"Really? Well, tell your mum that she's very talented." Taro smiled before turning back to his own work. It's good that he did as he didn't notice Oka freezing up at his comment. She fidgeted with her hands before looking back at her desk.  
"Y-Yeah… I'll tell her…" she said quietly, staring at her wooden desk. She glanced back at Taro, seeing that he was now looking out the window. She didn't want to snap at him, though she knew that other people would. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know.

Oka grabbed the little blue voodoo doll from under her red arm-band and squeezed it in her hand. She wasn't sure why she had been so stuck in these thoughts lately. But she didn't know what was worse, being stuck with these thoughts or the fact that she didn't have anyone to talk about it with. Oka put the voodoo doll back under her arm band and went back to reading her book. She could only hope that this day would go quickly and she could go home. She wished she could leave right this moment. She didn't want to even take part in her club today, but she couldn't just ignore it. She didn't want to think about what trouble she'd get into for avoiding her club, not to mention the club she was the leader of. Why did she start that stupid club in the first place? Nothing ever worked! Trying to summon a demon or anything always ended in failure! Everyone thought her activities and interests were a joke! Nobody ever took them seriously! Why couldn't she have the guts to just shut it, there was no reason to have it! Every other club seemed to have a purpose except for hers! Oka sighed heavily and shut her eyes. She wished she could tell someone what she was thinking. Having all of these thoughts going on in her head at once wasn't good for her.  
All she could hope that today would go smoothly.

….

Lunch time came without anything happening in class, aside from the lesson of course. Good, maybe today won't be so bad after all. Oka made her way up towards the roof as usual. She did prefer being up on the roof as opposed to in the Plaza or the lunch area. Along with the nice view in which she could pretty much see the whole town from up there, there was also solitude that came with it, since there were only usually about five people on the roof at once. She felt safe up here.  
As Oka walked onto the roof, she paused at the door. Both Sakyu and Inkyu were sitting on the bench next to Kuu Dere. The pair were eating their lunch while Kuu looked away from the pair, the expression on her face told Oka that she didn't appreciate the pair sitting on her bench. Her red eyes looked towards Oka and blinked a couple of times before glancing behind her towards the sisters. Did she want Oka to get rid of them? The girl blinked and backed away into the entrance of the door. She didn't know what to do! She wanted to help Kuu, since she knew that the girl did want to be alone and didn't want anyone next to her. But she just knew that it would end terribly for her if she tried to talk to the sisters. Maybe it was better to just leave. Oka sighed as she started walking down the stairs to the first floor where her club was. Maybe she could stay in there for a while. She didn't know how else to spend her time.

As she was about to turn the corner towards her club, Oka didn't notice someone walking towards her until they collided heads.  
"Ow!" Oka whimpered, taking a few steps back and covering her eyes, "I'm sorry!" She squeaked, praying that whoever she had ran into wouldn't be angry with her.  
"Uh! Like, seriously? You should, like, watch where you're going!" A brash voice responded, making Oka look through her fingers. Her stomach did a flip as he realised that it was Musume Ronshaku that was standing in front of her. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.  
"Oh, M-Musume! I-I-I'm so… S-Sorry!" She stammered anxiously. So much for staying out of her way!  
"Uh, what? How do you know my name? That is, like, suuuper creepy!" The girl rolled her eyes and wagged a finger as she spoke. Oka winced at being called creepy and glanced away.  
"I just… Heard it from some people." She admitted quietly, writhing her hands nervously. Great, she had only been talking to this girl for less than a minute and already she thought she was creepy.  
"Pfft, well I've never met you before, so that's still creepy. Are you like, a stalker or something?"  
"No!"  
"Oh my GAAAAAWD why are you getting defensive? I was just asking!" She huffed as she flicked her impressive hair behind her. Oka silently looked the girl over. She was very flashy. Her face was tinged with makeup and she just looked… Attractive. Very attractive. Her hair swept behind her like the mane of an Arabian mate and sported an impressive bust. Oka very quickly glanced down at her own chest, or lack thereof. That and her hair was still a mess and she hated the thought of wearing makeup, it'd be hard to keep up with all of that.  
"Beauty and the Beast…" Oka mumbled lowly to herself. Though Musume seemed to have heard her as she tilted her head and gave her a judging look.  
"Um… M-my name's Oka." She said, fiddling with her choker nervously. Musume simply rolled her eyes,  
"Like, I didn't ask for your name." She said dismissively before turning away for a moment letting out a long and exaggerated sigh.  
"Like, ohhhhh my gawwwwwd, I soooo need a smoke right now…" She said.  
Oka's eyes widened. A smoke? Wasn't that violating school rules? She knew someone could get suspended or worse from smoking cigarettes in school. Oka played with her choker again and glanced away, unsure how to move away from this topic. Cigarettes, really?  
"Oh… Um… You smoke?"  
"Well, DUH!"  
"O-ok I'm sorry-!"  
"Wait! Do you, like, have any ciggies on you?"  
 _Ciggies?_ Oka still couldn't wrap her head around this girl's attitude. What made her think she was above everyone else and could break rules that would get anyone else suspended? But she knew she couldn't express it, as if she'd want her reputation to drop even further!  
"If you could, like, get me a pack of smokes, I'd soooo totally be your best friend for-EVER."  
Oka winced at the way Musume said "ever." She darted her eyes, how did no one else hear that? She looked at the floor and writhed her hands together. A best friend? Really? Oka squeaked and shut her eyes for a moment. She wanted a friend. Terribly. Someone to talk to, someone to hang out with... someone to be close to. But if she had to break rules to do that, potentially getting both herself and Musume in severe trouble? Oka let out a little sigh, oh well... there were more people in this school... maybe someone would eventually become friends with her. But not this way.  
"I-I-I'm sorry…" she started carefully, hoping she didn't offend the girl, "but I don't smoke... and I don't think it's right to-"  
"Ooooh!" Musume squealed suddenly, throwing her hands up, "Look at little miss goody-two-shoes over here. Think you're better than me just because you don't smoke?"  
"What? No! I-I Don't think that, I'm sorry Musume-!"  
"What-EVERRRRR!" Musume waved her off dismissively, "I'm going outside. Maybe I, like, have some in my pocket." The girl rolled her eyes, "Thank's for nothing." she added as she swiftly stormed past Oka down the hallway, leaving her alone.

Oka wrapped her arms around herself, still shaken. Why was it so hard to talk to people without embarrassing herself? Why couldn't she be more like Kokona Haruka and willingly talk to someone she hadn't met? She talked Taro, but that was about it. Oh wait, there was also that charcoal haired girl…  
"Hello, Oka."  
"Kyaaaa!" Oka squealed, spinning around to notice the charcoal-haired girl standing behind her. How did she get here so quickly? And how did she know her _name?_ She was standing there, blinking her black eyes in her direction.  
"Uh… h-h-hello…" she stammered anxiously, fiddling with her collar. What did she want now? Why did she keep seeing this girl? She appeared everywhere! She didnt even know her name! Oka shut her eyes for a moment, what could she say? Thank you for the compliment? Wouldn't that sound weird? She let out a little sigh and opened her eyes.  
Where'd she go? Oka looked around, but she couldn't see anywhere. Oka sighed and looked down at the floor. She looked back down the hall, seeing it was empty. All the halls were empty, she was totally isolated. Oka took out her little voodoo doll and held it in her hands. At least she still had him to keep her company. She figured it would be better to just go back to class rather than her club. Maybe sitting next to Taro would make her feel a bit better.

Twenty minutes later, Oka was sitting at her desk in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to come back. Everyone was now in class and getting ready. She looked at Taro, who was still staring dreamily out of the window. Could she talk to him? Would he be annoyed that she distracted him from his daydreaming? Maybe it was better to stay quiet. As she sat in her seat, she noticed that something was different. Where was Musume? Her desk was empty and she hadn't seen her in the hallway. Maybe she did find a cigarette and was standing outside. Surely she would come to class soon.

….

She didn't. Oka put her voodoo doll back under her armband and started making her way to her club's room. She wasn't convinced that their attempt to summon a demon would work this time, but it was worth a try. As she walked, she passed the lockers and noticed that it was now busy and crowded. Oka preferred to get her things after the club's activities when it was quieter.  
But looking around again, she noticed that Musume was still absent. She couldn't see her anywhere. Weird, given how distinctive the girl was, she shouldn't be hard to spot. Oka frowned worryingly, where was she? She didn't want anything to happen to the girl! Maybe she just left early or something, but why would she leave without going to class? Maybe she was just sick or something. Oka sighed and walked to her club, keeping her head down. Surely she'd be back tomorrow. And while she'd be glad to see that the girl was alright, she guessed that it would be better if she just avoided her, given how their meeting went. It was probably better that way. It worked for most people…

Oka walked into her club's room and stood in the centre of it. She kept her head down and stared at her feet. Everyone was already dotted around, reading their books. Oka herself had read those books many times, they were full of fascinating facts and stories. But they were usually taken by the other club members. Oka looked around, watching each member one by one. One thing she had always noticed about almost everyone apart from Shin covered their right eye. She wasn't sure why. It seemed that it would make things more difficult. The two girls claimed they lost their eyes, but Oka wasn't sure if that was true. They never talked about it. And she had no idea about the boys. She had no idea whatsoever. She didn't know if she had the will or the courage to ask. She figured it was better to just leave it.  
"Hello?" A voice made her jump out of her thoughts and look up. She squeaked as she noticed the charcoal-haired girl standing in front of her? What the hell was going on here? She just appeared out of thin air!  
"Um...hi…" she mumbled softly, looking at the floor and writhing her hands.  
"I never gave you my name." she said bluntly, making Oka more nervous. Why did her voice sound so flat?  
"N-No…. Y-y-you didn't." she said quietly, avoiding looking in her vacant eyes.  
"It's Ayano."  
"Oh… um… i-i-it's nice to meet you… Ayano…" It felt good to finally know this girl's name. Though… she couldn't help but feel a little unsettled by her flat tone.  
"Umm… wh-what can I… do for you?" she asked, still writhing her hands anxiously.  
"I would… like to be part of your club."


	5. Chapter 5

Oka couldn’t breath. She just stood there with her mouth slightly agape at Ayano standing there in front of her. Did she seriously want to join her club? As far as she could remember, the members she had now had been here since the beginning and she had never had someone come up and ask her to join since then.  
“...y-you... actually… want to join…?” She murmured, she didn’t want to get her hopes up. Maybe she mis-heard her or something, surely she didn’t really want to join her club. This must have been a cruel joke set up by someone. She could imagine that they were around the door and once Ayano says “No.” they’ll come from around the corner and start laughing at her. But nobody would do that, right?   
“Yes.” The girl responded bluntly, putting her hands behind her back as she watched Oka intensely. At this, Oka felt her heart flip with surprise and elation.  
“...This is wonderful news...Perhaps the world isn't such a dark and lonely place, after all…” she said softly, mostly to herself. She doubted any other club leaders got this excited about new members, but she couldn't help it. Her pale cheeks flushed and she couldn't help but smile slightly.  
“What did you say?” A blunt voice broke Oka from her daze as she turned her attention back to Ayano, who was still standing there.  
“Um...Anyway...You're an official member now…” She finished hastily as she turned around and went into a little drawer, pulling out a choker with a crescent moon on it. Hands still shaking a little, she handed it to Ayano, who simply nodded and put it on.  
“Thank you.” She said before, much to Oka’s worry, she turned around and started walking back out of the door.  
“W-wait, where are you going?” She squeaked, trying hard not to sound desperate. This made Ayano turn around.  
“Just doing some things, I'll be back at five.” She said and with that, the girl ran out of the room, leaving everyone else in the Occult room. Oka sighed lightly and stared at her feet. She wanted Ayano to stay. She didn't like how the girl kept vanishing like that, it freaked her out. It was too weird for her. Wasn't that ironic? Oka grunted, she was the leader of a club that was about scary and weird things and that was strange to her. Yeah. Ironic. She looked around at the rest of the members, who were still looking at their books and didn't seem to have any interest in anything else. She looked back at the door, hoping that Ayano would come back like she said and she wasn’t going to ignore them. Oka wasn’t sure how she would take it if the girl didn’t come back…   
*  
Much to Oka’s relief, Ayano did come back. Still blunt and aloof but still, she came back. While they -again- didn’t succeed in summoning a demon, Oka didn’t really care. The club had a new member, and she… possibly had a friend. This kept Oka on a high for the rest of the night, even when she didn’t succeed in finding out any new information about the paranormal.   
At school the next day, Oka was about to make her way onto the roof, pushing her way through the crowd of elbows and feet. As she passed the Plaza’s main doors, Oka stopped in her tracks as she noticed something odd.

Musume Roanshaku was sitting alone on a bench, her hands clasped together and staring at her feet. Oka moved closer to her, this was very strange for the girl. The last time she saw her, she was socialising with the other girls, not sitting alone.   
“M-Musume?” Oka reached out to put her hand on her shoulder, “A-Are you… Alright?”   
“KYAA!” The girl’s shriek caused Oka to almost fall backwards with fright, Musume breathed deeply for several seconds before looking at Oka. The purple eyed girl paused as she looked at Musume’s expression. She looked… scared? Her face was pale and her eyes, rather than being bright with life, were dull and seemed to hold no emotion. She looked completely broken…  
“Oh…it’s you, uh… Orla was it?”  
“It’s Oka.”  
“Oh sorry, Oka…” she mumbled, rubbing her arm slowly and glancing away. But after a second, she paused for a moment before suddenly looking at her again, now looking alarmed.   
“Oka!?” She suddenly shrieked, giving the girl another fright.  
“Y-Yes? Are you alright?” Oka tried to sit next to the girl, but she immediately shot up and started backing away,   
“What’s wrong?” Oka asked gently, unsure as to what was scaring Musume so badly.  
“J-Just g-go away!” Musume cried, shaking badly. Oka paused.   
“What’s the matter? Did someone hurt you?” She tried to step closer, but Musume backed away further.   
“You did!”   
Oka’s eyes widened and her heart twisted itself in a knot. What? What did she do to Musume? All she did was talk to her yesterday! How could that have done anything?  
“But… Musume, I only talked to you-”  
“Exactly!” She snapped so loud that it caused a few others to turn and look at the pair, “I talked to you and then…”  
“Then what-?”  
“I don’t know! Something happened, I got knocked out and-and…. Oh God it was so awful- I don’t remember! I can’t remember anything except for you!” Oka stumbled backwards, noticing that people were now staring. She gulped, struggling to get words out.  
“I-I-I don’t know wh-what you’re t-t-talking about...” She squeaked, trying badly not to stutter and keep her nerve.  
“Just stay away from me!” The girl cried again, looking as though she was going to pass out. 

Oka’s chest tightened as she looked around at everyone staring at her, either looking confused or slightly freaked out. Having so many eyes on her at once caused her heart to race and her breathing to quicken. What was Musume talking about!? She didn't do anything that would hurt the girl! The thought of causing someone so much pain was just too much! Her mind racing, Oka turned and sprinted out of the Plaza, tripping over her feet and running into people, just to earn more looks in return.   
Oka didn't stop until she was in the one safe place she could think of: the roof. Panting from her climb, Oka gripped the handrails while breathing deeply in a veined attempt to calm herself down. Over the edge she could see into the Plaza, where people were around Musume, possibly trying to talk to her, while others simply went around their business. After a few moments, everything settled. But Oka couldn't shake off those feelings of dread and fear. She would never hurt another person! Even if they were as rude as Musume had been to her before! But now everyone probably thought she did something terrible! What was she going to do!? People already thought she was creepy and now they're thinking she did something to Musume! How could this get any worse?!  
“-ka? Oka!”  
Oka yelped as a voice interrupted her internal panic, shaking she turned around to see Kuu Dere and Midori Gurin standing there, both looking alarmed.  
“Wh-what i-i-is it?” She stammered, trying to regain her breath.  
“You were hyperventilating. What happened?” Kuu questioned bluntly, though her eyebrows were raised. Was she… worried?  
“I-I-I’m fine…” she squeaked, turning away so the pair couldn’t see her hugging the small blue voodoo doll against her chest, which seemed to help her calm down a little. Holding the small doll gave her a feeling of comfort and security that nothing else could come close to achieving. But the knowledge of the pair still standing behind her prevented her from fully calming down.  
“Kuu? I don't Oka is okay.” She heard Midori chirp worryingly behind her.  
“No shit, Midori.” Kuu bluntly grunted.  
“Then why did she say she was?”  
“How did you even get in this school in the first place, don't you have to sit an exam to get in?”  
“That was an exam?”  
“Oh, for the love of…”  
Oka giggled slightly as she heard this going on behind her, she couldn't help it. She turned around to look at them, putting the doll under her armband again. The pair instantly stopped bickering as Oka faced them. Kuu sighed and took a step forward.  
“Alright, what happened, Oka?” Kuu asked, which made the girl freeze up a little.  
“Um… uh…”  
“You can tell us, Oka. We won’t laugh or anything.” She added, Midori nodded eagerly. Oka simply sighed.  
“Okay…” she sighed.

After a lot of stuttering, pauses and even a second mild attack, Oka finally managed to tell both Kuu and Midori what had happened. Though it took longer with Midori constantly cutting in to ask a dumb question every few seconds. Kuu stayed quiet the whole time, only nodding occasionally. When Oka finally finished, Kuu frowned and put her hand on her chin.  
“Alright so… Musume is saying that you did something to her?”  
“Y-Yes..”  
“But she doesn’t remember anything after she spoke to you…” She sighed lightly, “This doesn’t make any sense.”  
“I know…” Oka writhed her hands anxiously, “B-But I’m scared that… people will th-think I did something awful to her…”  
“Well did you do anything?”  
“NO I DIDN’T!” Oka cried, taking several steps back, wrapping her hands around herself.  
“Shut up, Midori!” Kuu snarled at the green haired girl, “She just said she didn’t!” Oka felt slightly sorry for Midori as the younger girl glanced away, rubbing her arm, though she didn’t appreciate being asked the same questions over and over.   
“Well, you said you were in class yesterday and Musume didn’t show up. Maybe something happened then?” Kuu ran her hand through her hair, looking rather puzzled. Oka simply shook her head.  
“...I guess?” Oka replied, sighing, “Look I j-j-just… I just needed to... tell someone. Thanks.”  
“It’s fine. Whatever happened to Musume had nothing to do with you. It’ll pass.” Kuu said just as the bell went, announcing the beginning of morning class. 

“Oh, gotta go!” Oka saw a green blur run past her to the stairs and, a few seconds later, heard the sound of something falling down the stairs. Oka shook her head and sighed. She didn’t want to go to class, not after all of that.   
“...I wish I could just… stay up here.” Oka mumbled, rubbing her arms. Kuu Dere sighed gently and took a step forward.  
“If you want, I can go in first and you stay behind me. And we’ll go in a bit late so I doubt anyone will focus on you when Kanon-sensei is talking, you know what she’s like when students don’t pay attention.” Kuu responded with the usual bluntness in her voice that she was known for, though the expression on her face showed… sympathy? Oka couldn’t really tell, but she still appreciated it. She didn’t know Kuu would be willing to help her like that.   
“Th...Thank you…” She mumbled softly, rubbing her arms. Kuu opened her mouth but shut it after darting her eyes a little.  
“Well… Alright, come on. Let’s go.” She said in a quicker tone from usual and started heading down the stairs. Oka took out her little doll and cuddled it against her chest before going to follow Kuu down the stairs towards the third floor and their classroom. 

When the pair came to the door to the classroom, Oka stayed close to Kuu Dere and kept holding onto her doll, petting it on the head. The doll always had a therapeutic effect on her. Even after five years, it still had the mixed and faded scents of her mum’s perfume and dad’s cologne on it. It just made her safe.  
“Oka.” She looked at Kuu, who was opening the door and gesturing her to follow her. Oka put the doll back under her armband and followed her inside. As she walked in behind the blue haired girl, she looked around the classroom. She squeaked as she noticed that a number of people were looking in her direction, including Musume who looked like a deer in the headlights. She stopped on the spot and felt unable to move. Oka looked at Kanon, who was looking around unhappily at her distracted students.   
“I’m over here, guys!” She suddenly called out, causing everyone to look in Kanon’s direction. But there were still whispers…  
This distraction allowed Oka to slip to her desk without further problems. She sighed and hugged herself, trying to comfort herself and get rid of these horrible feelings. She looked to her right to see Taro sitting there. He was looking out the window, and didn’t seem to notice that she was next to him. She wanted to talk to him, ask him if he had heard anything about what happened and what he thought. The thought of Taro thinking she did something to Musume would be too much for her to cope… But she couldn’t bring herself to get his attention or ask. She didn’t feel comfortable instigating a conversation with him. He approached her before, if he was wondering about her, surely he’d ask… Oka sighed and went to look at her books. She just wanted this day to end...  
*  
Oka ran out of class the first chance she got when it was over. She needed somewhere quiet to go. She didn’t want to be around people. Not after that. She went into the front doors of the school and looked outside. The cool air blew in her face, having a calming effect in the girl. She sighed and closed her eyes. 

She was overreacting, that was it. Yeah… she must be overreacting. It can’t be that bad. Nobody thought she hurt Musume and this will blow over quickly. Though she couldn’t get one thing out of her head…  
What did happen to Musume to make her a traumatised and paranoid mess?   
Oka thought for a moment. Was she attacked? No, there were no wounds or injuries. Did she see something? Maybe… but what could break someone that badly? It would have had to be something truly horrifying... She didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was too much. She needed something to take her mind off of it. Maybe she could go back onto the roof and talk to Kuu and Midori again. They were a big help before, well Kuu was but Midori played her part too.   
Or she could try and talk to Taro. Oka felt herself become flustered at this thought. Thinking about Taro seemed to have a soothing effect on her, his voice just made her feel… safe. She wished she could approach him confidently and speak to him. But she just felt like she couldn’t. Or could she? It was worth an attempt at least, right? Turning around, Oka made her way towards the Plaza. Looking through the doors, just as she expected, Taro was sitting on the edge of the fountain and admiring the trees. He was alone at usual. And nobody seemed to be around. This was her chance!  
Oka put her fist against her chest and breathed in quietly and started walking towards him. But she only got to one of the benches when she heard a voice from elsewhere in the Plaza.  
“Oh!” It made Oka jump as she looked over to see Kokona Haruka get up from one of the benches and hide behind one of the trees, looking at Taro from there.  
“Oh, Senpai...when will you notice how I feel about you?” She said quietly, but Oka could just hear her. Senpai? Oka frowned, why was she calling him that?  
“Okay, I've made up my mind... I'll tell him how I feel this Friday! I hope he accepts my feelings…” 

Those words cut through Oka’s chest like a knife. She… liked Taro too? She looked at Kokona as she sat down and started eating her bento. Oka looked back at Taro, not knowing what to do now. Talking to him now would make things even worse. Kokona was one of the more popular girls in school, still very nice but popular. If she saw her talking to her crush, what would happen? And she didn’t want to make Kokona feel like she had to compete for Taro. Not to mention that Taro wasn’t just a prize to be fought for. And she didn’t want to make him feel like he was. Maybe it was better for her just to… leave him alone. Give Kokona the chance to be with him. Something told her that he would be happier with her than he would be with her.   
Sighing lowly, Oka turned around to walk back inside, but stopped as she suddenly saw Anayo standing at the door. She didn’t seem to notice Oka as she was staring straight ahead toward Kokona with an expressionless face.   
“Ayano?” Oka asked, making the girl jump slightly and look in her direction.  
“What?” She asked bluntly in her usual tone.  
“What... are you d-d-doing?”   
“Out for a walk.” Oka flinched slightly at the bluntness of her response.  
“Oh um… I was just wondering… a-a-are you going to join in on… the club’s activity today?” She asked carefully. She still couldn’t quite believe that she had another member to her club, but she wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t leave or abandon her.   
“Yes.”  
“Oh good…” Oka sighed as she looked away. She still had something to hold onto. But when she looked up again, as she expected, Ayano had vanished. Oka sighed and started walking to her club, maybe reading a good book or something would make her feel better.

“Oh, um… Oka?” The said girl stopped in her tracks and turned around to see Saki Miyu standing behind her. Oka paused for a moment, she hadn’t spoken to Saki before and had only seen her around Kokona. She didn’t know anything about her.   
“Um… Yes, Saki?” she squeaked.  
“I was just wondering…” Saki rubbed the back of her neck and glanced away, “This is ...really embarrassing…”   
“What? I-I-I won’t laugh…” Oka took a step forward, what was worrying Saki so much?  
“Well...I lost...my bra...somewhere at school...and I can't find it anywhere…” She answered finally. Oka’s eyes widened in surprise. Her bra? Why would her bra be anywhere around school?  
“Uh, w-why is-?”  
“D-Don't ask me why my bra is missing!” Saki put her hands up and shook her head, worryingly. “It's a long story, okay? The point is, if you find a bra lying around, it's mine, and I would really appreciate it if you'd return it to me! Oh, god...this is so embarrassing…”  
Oka blinked and didn’t answer for a moment. This was a very weird request. Why would she have her bra in the school? It didn’t make sense.   
“Hmm… Um… I-I-I’m sorry, Saki… I haven’t seen a bra… but I’ll t-t-tell you if I see it…” Oka mumbled carefully, remembering how badly Musume reacted to her refusing to help her. Saki sighed and folded her arms.  
“Okay…” she huffed but still gave Oka a slight smile, “Thanks anyway, Oka.”  
“I will tell you… i-i-if I find it…”   
“I know.” Saki took a step forward, making Oka take a step back, “Also… I’ve been hearing about Musume and what happened.” Oka felt her eyes widen and her her stomach twisted into a tight knot.  
“N-N-Nothing happened!” Oka, her heart twisting a number of times and she took more steps back, her knees starting to shake as she started to worry again.  
“No, no, Oka! It’s okay!” Saki reached a hand out, “I believe you!” Oka stopped walking backwards. She did?   
“Y-Y-You do?” She squeaked, still shaking slightly.  
“Yes, I do! The whole thing is just… it makes no sense. I don’t know you that well, Oka, but I know for a fact that you wouldn’t hurt someone.”  
Oka looked at the ground and was unable to stop herself from smiling a tiny bit and blushing slightly. Someone else had her back… maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad after all.   
“T-T-Thank you, Saki…” she mumbled softly, “I appreciate it...”   
“It’s okay. Try to ignore people who say otherwise, and Kokona and I will help if we can.”  
“Wait, Kokona?”  
“Yeah, you see… she knows how it feels to have lies spread around about her.”  
“Oh…” Oka sighed, she didn’t know that about Kokona. Maybe they weren’t so different after all. She looked at Saki again and gave her a small nod.   
“Well, I should go and get something to eat, I’ll see you around, Oka!” Saki said as she walked away, giving Oka a small wave as she left. Oka raised her hand and waved slightly before turning around and walked towards to the Occult Club. All she could do was pray that things would continue to look up like this, but who knows?


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the school day went by without incident. Oka avoided eye contact with Taro the whole time, her mind spinning. He had his friend Osana, who she still had never met, but now she also had Kokona admiring him. She couldn't compete with them… Surely it was better for her to keep her distance. Either of them would be better for Taro than she could ever be. Though… she couldn't stop thinking about him.

"I think that boy has put a hex on me…" she mumbled under her breath as she left the classroom. She walked through the hall, keeping her head down. She knew that she needed to go to her club but part of her really wanted to talk to Taro, ask him how he felt about all of this. Surely he knew about Musume. It wasn't really a secret, everyone in the whole Plaza knew about it by now… Nothing stayed quiet for long in this school. It didn't matter what it was, it would get out somehow. It was better to try and keep as quiet as possible rather than try and get people to stop talking about it, but she knew, from experience, that this tactic never worked.

"Oka?" A blunt voice made her jump, Oka spun around and saw Kuu Dere standing there.

"Hi, Kuu…" the girl sighed, rubbing her arm. Looking around, she saw everyone walking past the pair. A few still looked at her, making Oka writhe her hands together worryingly.

"Are you alright?" Kuu asked, furrowing her brow slightly. Oka sighed and put her arms around herself.

"Um… Yeah… I'm fine." She mumbled softly before giving Kuu a weak smile, "Th-th-thanks for… s-s-standing with me." The girl watched Kuu as she darted her ruby eyes, seeing if anyone happened to be looking and sighed.

"No problem. Just… if you feel like that again, just tell me." Kuu nodded before simply walking away. Oka smiled slightly as she watched her walk away. Kuu didn't seem to want others to see her like this, given the pace she left at. Seeing that she had a reputation of never showing emotion, chances were that she wanted to keep it that way.

Avoiding eye contact, Oka made her way towards the Occult Club's room. But a part of her just wanted to leave and go home and hide in her room until everything calmed down. But she couldn't just leave the other members like that.

Although... She could always Shin to look after the club for her. She had trusted him with it before and that worked out fine. After thinking it over, Oka shook her disheveled head, dismissing the thought. It'd be selfish. Putting a burden on someone else to satisfy herself like that. She hated people that did that. Why would anyone hurt another person just to get what they wanted? There were other ways. Harder, more challenging ways but Oka liked to think she would willing take the hard route to reach her goal, whatever it may be, rather than gain it easily through hurting another person. Maybe that's what happened to Musume? Oka didn't want to think about it... But it could be true. Someone had done that to her to gain something. Had she been traumatised for someone else's' benefit? Who would do that? And why? The girl sighed heavily as she walked. Thinking about all of this was beginning to give her a terrible headache.

As she went down the hall, a nice smell wafted from one of the rooms to Oka's right and slinked into her nose. Stopping, Oka noticed that she was close to the door which led to the Cooking Club. Inside it she could hear the other members talking and laughing and the sound of cutlery. Stopping, Oka looked in the door to see the girls sitting at a table, all together. They seemed happy, talking, laughing and simply enjoying each other's company. She also saw Kokona standing in the kitchen, cooking. The scent of the food wafted into her nose again, causing her to feeling rather lightheaded. It had just reminded her that she hadn't eaten today, missing breakfast from sleeping in and the stress from worrying about everything to do with Musume caused her to forget about eating her lunch.

After watching the girls for another couple of moments, she let out a little sigh and looked away. Why did she have to be such a shrinking violet? She wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by a group of friends like that. She wished there were others in the school who would simply talk to her, actually spend time with her, rather than just ignore her or call her "weird" behind her back.

Oka decided to walk on, not wanting anyone inside the cooking club to notice she was there.

But she had only gotten a few paces away, when the sound of a voice caused Oka to freeze in place.

"Oka!" She jerked around to notice Kokona standing there… holding her voodoo doll!

Oka squeaked and cupped her hands to her chest, her heart tying itself in a painful knot. Where did she get that? Why did she have it? Actually, it didn't matter, she shouldn't have it!

"M-m-m-my, why-why do you have m-m-my-!?" Oka tripped over herself, wringing her hands so fast, it was almost a blur before letting out a small "Oh!" and covered her face, wishing the ground could just swallow her up. The last thing she wanted was for others to call her a "baby" for having the doll.

Looking through her fingers, she could see Kokona still standing there with the doll in her hand. She looked a little worried.

"Oka, are you alright?" Her voice sounded concerned but Oka hadn't noticed. She could hardly hear her at all.

"Yes!" She squeaked, through Kokona did not look all that convinced. But much to Oka's relief, she didn't go on. Instead she simply held the doll towards her.

"I just noticed that you dropped it." she said sweetly as Oka instantly took it from her. She hugged the doll close to her, gripping it tightly. She tried to slow her breathing down but it was extremely difficult. She shut her eyes, gripping onto it tighter. Why couldn't she just go home? She just wanted this day to be over so she could shut herself away in the safety of her room and away from all of this. Oka sighed and hunched her shoulders, trying to pull herself into a protective ball.

"Here." Kokona's voice made her jump as she suddenly noticed that Kokona was… holding a little plate towards her? Oka blinked, noticing that there were little two octopus shaped hot dogs. She blinked, feeling confused. What were they for?

"Eat them, they'll probably make you feel better. Besides… you look a little pale." She said sweetly. Oka blinked a few times, not quite sure how to respond to that.

"...But-" she mumbled.

"Really, it'll help. I promise."

Oka darted her eyes worryingly before taking the small plate with one hand. Why was Kokona being so nice? Surely she heard everything that had been going on. And she was always with her group of friends, so wouldn't they have all said things about it? But just before she could open her mouth, a loud growl interrupted her. Oka stiffened up and wrapped her free arm around her abdomen, her pale cheeks flushing from embarrassment. But, instead of laughing, Kokona just smiled again.

"I haven't poisoned them or anything. Go ahead." She said. Oka took one of the little octodogs in her hand and, after another pause, took a small bite out of it.

"So? You like it?" Kokona asked curiously, holding her hands together. Chewing slowly, Oka glanced up at the girl before giving her a nod in answer. She wasn't focusing on it, though. What she _was_ thinking about was why Kokona was being like this. Though truthfully, she didn't have much of an opinion of the girl before since she had never actually talked to her before. She took the other octodog and sighed.

"Thanks…" she mumbled softly.

"It's alright." the girl smiled before letting out a soft sigh and tilting her head slightly, "Listen… I know about everything that happened today- but don't worry!" she quickly added as Oka let out a startled yelp and jumped back, "It's all a load of rubbish."

Oka's heart loosened and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh… thanks. I just thought that-"

"Seriously, you don't have to worry about it. It's not as bad as you think it is, trust me." Kokona said with another kind smile.

"Really?" Oka blinked, hoping that what the girl was telling her was true, "Oh… well… I feel kinda stupid now…" she rubbed her arm while glancing away. Much to her shock, she suddenly felt a hand on her left shoulder, making her jump slightly.

"No, no you're not being stupid! I'd feel the same way if that happened to me. Try not to worry about it, I'm sure it will all work out."

Oka could only listen as Kokona said this. She didn't know what to say.

"Oh… um…" she blinked and looked at the empty plate in her hand, "H-here…" she handed it back to her. Truthfully, she did really like those octodogs. And it was good to actually have anything to eat.

"...T-thanks, Kokona… f-f-for the octodogs and everything else." she stammered, rubbing her hands together. To that, she got another smile from the girl.

"It's no problem. I'm glad you liked them. And don't worry, everything will work out fine." she said before walking back into the Cooking Club. Oka, alone in the hallway, sighed and looked at her feet. She said "don't worry"... But how was she supposed to do that? Sighing, Oka turned around and began walking towards her club's room. She just wished she could take her mind off of today…

**…**

Those thoughts swam through Oka's mind throughout the rest of the evening. All through her time with her club right up to now in her bed and staring at the ceiling. She had not found anything new about vampires or anything other supernatural, though that could have something to do with the fact that she did not do much research. She simply could not focus. Lying on her back, she stared at her navy ceiling which was dotted with the white stars from her bedside lamp. Her stomach was empty but her mind was completely stuffed. And when she felt like this, it was impossible to get anything done. It was only ten at night and she was exhausted. Today had just been completely draining, mentally. She didn't know what to think or how to feel… what was she supposed to do?

**Ping!**

Oka jumped out of her skin at the sudden sound. Sitting upright, she suddenly noticed that her phone had vibrated and the screen lit up. Did someone _text_ her? Curious, she picked up the phone and was surprised to find a Facebook message.. From _Taro_! The girl gulped as her heart jumped. What was Taro doing massaging _her?_ Biting her lower lip, she opened the message up.

" _Hey Oka, sorry to bother you but I just realised I left my maths notes in my desk. If you have yours, is it alright if you send me a pic of them?"_

It didn't matter that he was only messaging her about school issues, he texted her! Oka couldnt stop her cheeks from turning a light tinge of pink. She took a moment to slow down her breathing, and she started thinking a bit clearer. But as she calmed down, a question started wandering into her mind. Why _her?_ Surely there were others in the class he could have asked, people with neater handwriting or more detailed notes. She opened her phone again to message him back.

" _Hey Taro, I can send you a pic of my notes. But can I ask, how come you didn't ask anyone else?"_

" _Not that I mind, I don't, I'm just curious that's all."_ she added rapidly, scared that he would take that the wrong way. She closed the phone and sighed as she stimmed. Surely that was the wrong thing to say. It sounded stupid. He'd think she was stupid! Great…

**Ping!**

Oka practically tackled the bedside table to grab her phone.

" _Haha, don't worry I don't mind. I've seen your notes, they're good! If I asked anyone else, I wouldn't know if their handwriting would be scribbles or if they only wrote three things in their notes."_

Oka read that message several times before she fully relaxed. Alright… that was okay. She let out a small sigh of relief before she got her maths notes out and began taking photos of her notes from that day and sending them. Once she was done, she went back to lying on her back, shutting her eyes. But as she was about to fall asleep, another chirp from her phone caught her attention. She opened it again.

" _Thanks! You saved my skin, haha!"_

Oka smiled slightly before messaging him back, " _No probs, glad I could help."_

She waited for a few moments, wondering if he was going to answer that or if he was going to go away and do that homework.

After a hour or so, she heard nothing from him. Sighing, Oka folded her hands across her stomach as she shut her eyes in order to try and sleep. In a sense, she wished Taro had messaged her again. It was the only way she could talk to him without becoming a stuttering mess, and this way, it meant she wouldn't have to encounter him face-to-face and potentially get both him and herself into trouble. But on the other hand… there was everything to do with Musume… what did he think about that? She wanted to know… but what would happen? As well as that, Kokona also seemed to be attracted to him… she couldn't compete. Sighing, Oka rolled onto her side, hugging her doll against her stomach. Maybe everything will die down. Or it might not. Who knows? Sighing, she wished there was someone to talk to about all of this. Like her parents. They'd know what to do… they knew everything… Oka sighed and hugged her doll tighter. If only…

**Remember, reviews are your friends! ;)**


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